Catfish Species

[Soupy_1us]

I have a problem:confused: .. I have been catching a catfish that looks like a Bluecat Fish on the Ohio River. I have an Old timer from Ill. that lives down here in KY now and he keeps telling me that this Catfish is a "Black Colbey" (not sure about the spelling). Never heard of one ! As I said , it looks like a Bluecat to me but, in different times of the year , this fish looks "strange" , It's lips get as big as footballs (not really that big but, big).
Is there really such a species as the Black Colbey or is this Illinizion telling me another big one ?:rolleyes: So far , I haven't found anything on this 'puter about this "Colbey" or anywheres else... Can one of you guys give me a hand on this one? Soupy

[capt.kirk]

HEY SOUPY
Post a picture when you can,and we will compare it to the black cats
that we catch down here in florida.:confused:
KIRK

[Timotha7]

I know the male channels up here get real dark heads get misshaped during spawn, lips get pretty scuffed up from nesting
they got different anal fin than blue cat, but if they are big channels could perhaps be taken for a blue cat if you are ued to catching blues constantly?

Attached pic isn't real good but kind of shows how the males heads will get swelled up and bumpy during spawn

Male on the left

[Soupy_1us]

Looks pretty close to what I've been catching... I will get a pic the next time I catch one.

[gofish]

lots of people around here catch a channel like that and call it a blue then other guys call blues (white cats)

[capt.kirk]

TIM
That black one looks just like the cats that i have been calling
BLACK CATS down here,SCHOE saw a picture of 6 that i have on the
wall and said that they looked some what like a BULL HEAD, I dont know
what to call them except GOOD EATING.:confused:
KIRK

[nosnag]

Kirk,
The blackcats here in Suwannee are all about about 1-1/2 # max.,mottled black and yellowed grey in color, and the heads look like they belong on a fish twice the size. Plus they are even more pot-bellied than me. No mistaking them for a blue or channel. If anything they look more like a small flathead but have a higher crown in the head. They also hate swift water.
Still good eating though. The flesh is kind of yellow too.All the locals here call them black cats.
BILL

[Soupy_1us]

Now that's another thing about these so called "Black Colbey's" They have told me that they are not really worth eating... I haven't tried one yet.. The guys (old timers) that I've talked to says that they are very different from any other fish they catch..I guess I'm gonna have to put my boat in today and go catch one. I'll take pics., then cook it up and give you guys my report.( I hope)



TIM
That black one looks just like the cats that i have been calling
BLACK CATS down here,SCHOE saw a picture of 6 that i have on the
wall and said that they looked some what like a BULL HEAD, I dont know
what to call them except GOOD EATING.:confused:
KIRK

[capt.kirk]

BILL
They do have a bit of light yellow color until soaked.
SOUPY Catch one and soak it over night in salt water and a little lemon
juice,rinse and soak 4 hours in light beer,batter them put on a little
cajun seasoning,and fry them,be sure to have some ice cream on hand
thats what i want after the meal.:cool:
KIRK

[Schoe]

Kirk, I think I still have a picture of one of those Black Cats that you and I caught in the pond across from your house. I will see if I can find it and post it. Schoe

[Timotha7]

Bill's description sounds like bullheads to me, very similar to young flatheads,
there is some differences in rays on anal fin and also difference in the mouth pads on them

Here is link to site that has ID info on it for bout any fish species
they sell some kinda cards, I have not gotten any, but the site does have some good info

http://www.identicards.com/species/allaboutcatfish.htm

[Soupy_1us]

:rolleyes:Well, First things first................................ya gotta catch one.................Let's put it like this ... I got my yard mowed today.:rolleyes:


BILL
They do have a bit of light yellow color until soaked.
SOUPY Catch one and soak it over night in salt water and a little lemon
juice,rinse and soak 4 hours in light beer,batter them put on a little
cajun seasoning,and fry them,be sure to have some ice cream on hand
thats what i want after the meal.:cool:
KIRK

[Soupy_1us]

I was told ... before I got on this site that it was a Channel Cat that was spawnin' or the male cat doing it's thing with the eggs of the female...(Rootin' around in the eggs is what makes it's lips so big) Sounded good to me???? Thanks for the info site I needed that.



Bill's description sounds like bullheads to me, very similar to young flatheads,
there is some differences in rays on anal fin and also difference in the mouth pads on them

Here is link to site that has ID info on it for bout any fish species
they sell some kinda cards, I have not gotten any, but the site does have some good info

http://www.identicards.com/species/allaboutcatfish.htm

[nosnag]

I do believe that they are bullheads.But you ca'nt fight with words with the old timers down here.I told one that I was catching "calico bass", and he told me I was wrong."they's Crappies". Mumbled something about yankees not knowing what a bass looked like. Left me chuckeling as I went home to my wife and dawg.

BILL

[Timotha7]

Here is pics of the "black cats" from Turkey Creek Fla, (courtesy of Schoe and Capt Kirk)
do believe they are for sure bullhead, best I could count the anal rays and looking at Barbels which seem to be black, think it is brown bullhead, common to catch them 1 to 2 lbs

they are very good eating IMO if you soak them as noted in above post very agressive feeders, I have caught bullheads that will take a creek chub dang near as long as they are

In looking at the mouth pads I believe that in flathead cat the mouth pad is rounded off on the ends, in the bullheads the mouthpad is pointy on the ends
(if I don't have it backwards :D )

Small bullheads are also a deadly bait for flathead and for walleye as well
Some people will clip the fins but they work either way

http://www.identicards.com/identification/details.asp?fishname=brown%20bullhead

[gofish]

sse now there you go giving away all my secret weapons(using them for bait) cant tell everything thats good for bait.lol actually yellow bullheads are common around here and for camping make great eating.skin dehead and degut them,wrap in aluminum foil with a little butter and a clove of garlic and throw em in the campfire coals.till done

[capt.kirk]

HEY JOE
When were kids we would take the bullheads and whatever else we
caught,and pack them in blue clay mud,and throw them on the fire
and if the time was right,BORROW some field corn from one of the local
fields close by the river,and pig out,those were some good old days.The same ones of us that fished together,had to swim across the river and back every,FEBRUARY 1st till we smartened up some and discovered girls were more fun and a lot warmer.:)
KIRK

[nosnag]

:D Yeppers,
That is the fabled Black Cats we have here. For sure,you do'nt want to throw them away.Really good eating. My fishing bud,Dave Mitchell will attest to that. That should put the question to rest.
BILL

[Timotha7]

:D :D WHOOOPS Sorry bout that Joe!:D

lot of people will use the Bullheads for catfish, not as many seem to know that walleye will go out of their way to smack them around
Think it might be because the bullhead are spawn eaters??

But for sure walleye seem to almost have "hard feelings" towards them
will definitly go out of their way to chew on them
Tim

[gofish]

capt.kirk we used to go to the"good" part of town and liberate all kinds of produce when i was younger.lol.then run our lines.aw the days when things werent complicated..............before we discovered girls.lol timotha 7 thats ok never used them for walleye before think they just generally annoy everything.plus theres lots of em and if i think theyre good eats..........

[hushpuppy]

Looks like a butter cat to me.

[hushpuppy]

I see I'm goin' to have to give Ol' Nosnag some southern learnin' during the FCC...lol

[wewamohawk]

guys that sounds like yhe bullheads they get here in the pan handle they call them pally wogs if they have a square tail they are bullheads they could be them

[nosnag]

Hey John,:D
I've had some school housin'.Can read reading, but have trouble reedin' ritin'.
The wife still laughs when I use her for an interpreter at times down here. We will still communicate at the FCC.,even if we have to draw pitchers.:cool:
Especially when we yell,"Fish on",and "It's a big un".Sometimes the finest part of fishing is the good natured ribbing.
BILL

[Soupy_1us]

Well, I finally did it.. After we talked about that Black Colbey or whatever it is I finally caught another one and this time I got pics. I caught it this morning on Tradewater River in Western KY . Using cut bait (shad) and heavy tackle. It weighed in at almost 4 lbs, almost 22 inches long.. It's not as black as the last one I caught but, it was later in the year for that one. The lips are swollen but, not as big as the last one. The is no hump in theback as the Blues have , the head is like a Flathead and it has no yellow on it anywhere not even on the meat.. The meat looks almost like a blues. It dressed like a Flathead. What is it?:confused: :confused:





I have a problem:confused: .. I have been catching a catfish that looks like a Bluecat Fish on the Ohio River. I have an Old timer from Ill. that lives down here in KY now and he keeps telling me that this Catfish is a "Black Colbey" (not sure about the spelling). Never heard of one ! As I said , it looks like a Bluecat to me but, in different times of the year , this fish looks "strange" , It's lips get as big as footballs (not really that big but, big).
Is there really such a species as the Black Colbey or is this Illinizion telling me another big one ?:rolleyes: So far , I haven't found anything on this 'puter about this "Colbey" or anywheres else... Can one of you guys give me a hand on this one? Soupy

[Timotha7]

Looks like a Male Channel catfish, the heads on the males swell like this during spawn

Surest way to tell is to count the rays on the anal fin a blue cat will have
30-35 rays a channel will have 25-29 rays on its anal fin

by cropping the picture and zommingin on it the anal on the cat you caught looks to have around 27 rays, but because as you zoom the pic distorts it is kinda difficult to tell for exact

I would definitly say it is a male channel

Perhaps others could chime in as well

Tim

[Soupy_1us]

Here's a couple of better pics. http://www.whereifish.com/gallery/data/500/medium/IMG_1189.jpg

Kinda what I thought about the male channel but, I had this old guy form Ill argue with me about it being a "black colbey" . I've never heard of one.

[Soupy_1us]

http://www.whereifish.com/gallery/data/500/medium/IMG_1194.jpg

But, when I cleaned it... It didn't have any mud meat in it... No brown ot yellow meat at all.

[Soupy_1us]

http://www.whereifish.com/gallery/data/500/medium/IMG_1197.jpg

Now you can see why we nicknamed it "Ole Boot Lip"

[swampman]

definitly a channel cat, we catch em in the ponds around my friends house, but they only look like that during late spring when the water gets around 60.

[gofish]

id say it was a channel too.

[Soupy_1us]

I'm going with a channel too > Male in spawn< but, that Spring time stuff don't get it here.. The one I caught last year was late summer or early fall..Like I said afore "I ain't one of them Fisholigist" Just go by what I see and catch.

[capt.kirk]

Looks to be a fat channel cat to me,and good eats. KIRK

[nosnag]

Yep,
Male Channel cat.Lips get that way from digging out the nesting area.Usually find them spawned out when you gut them.The two sperm tubes in them will be empty and a pink color.We get them like that in april/may here.
BILL

[gofish]

soupy ive caught em that way thru the ice, might have something to do with what theyre feeding on also.like diggin in rocks for crayfish ect.